Published : 09/28/2022

Spiritual symbols: find the divine in you

- Categories : Sacred geometry

What is a symbol? What is it for? This is the theme I propose to address today.

This is a subject that I will eventually address in many other articles but here I would like to go back to the basics, to the essentials.

All major religions have their symbols. A world famous example is the Christian cross, a symbol associated with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on the cross.

In Buddhism, the most famous symbols are the conch, the parasol, the fish, the urn, the dharma wheel, the banner, the lotus, the knot, the Om.

Spiritual symbols are like guides. Each one has its own symbolism.

The circle, the wheel and the mandala are symbols. The symbol does not exclude, it includes, in the sense that it does not impose limits. The human mind will try to understand symbols with the intellect, but you will get the best results with the heart.

The key to the symbols is at hand, at your fingertips.

It is so intimate to you that the search for it might seem so trivial that you might not even want to do it. In fact, we are often used to looking for complexity when things are always very simple.

A legend tells that when God had finished creating all things, he took the key of the One in his hand and said to himself that he would assign to man the task of finding it. Wanting to make the search very exciting, He wanted to hide it very well and went to consult His heavenly advisors. They suggested the most unlikely hiding places; some even suggested hiding the key somewhere on the moon. God thought about it for a long time, and then He answered them: "All these places seem excellent to me, but I would prefer to put it in a place that is both near and far, where man will not think of looking So he went to hide it in the very heart of the man.

It is this heart, the center of man, that will be the object of our journey today.

But before we set off on this wonderful journey, let's go back to earth with the etymology and the meaning of the symbol.

Symbol and meaning

Wikipedia defines a symbol as an object, an image, a written word, a sound or even a living being, or a particular mark that represents something else by association, resemblance or convention.

Some fields, notably scientific and technical, make extensive use of the concept of symbol, which designates a writing that represents an abstraction. This is how mathematics defines symbolic calculation. In philosophy and in the humanities and social sciences, we tend to distinguish between a sign, which has a precise meaning - such as road signs, whose meaning is indicated in a regulatory text with the least possible ambiguity - and a symbol, which refers to a set of thoughts.

A symbol can be an object, an image, a recognizable form possibly associated with a chromatic field, a word, a sound, a whole mark which represents something else by association, resemblance or convention. It can be a person, a "symbolic figure" of something, a recognition formula of individuals belonging to a group, a gestural signal or a drawn or sculpted sign.

Symbol and sign should not be confused. Signs - e.g. emblems - refer to a precise, conventional meaning, whereas symbols evoke, leaving the possibility of various mental associations.

The meaning of the word symbol has varied greatly since its origin, for example:

The word "symbol" comes from the ancient Greek sumbolon, which derives from the verb sumballesthaï (from syn-, with, and -ballein, to throw away) meaning "to put together ", "to contribute", "to compare"

Aristotle uses the metaphor "symbol" to designate a correspondence.

Heraclitus said of the Oracle of Delphi that it "says nothing and hides nothing, but signifies"; Porphyry reports that Pythagoras taught "either by developing his thought or by using symbols".

At the beginning of the XXth century, the symbol is a concrete sign evoking, by a natural relationship, something absent or impossible to perceive.

What if, in the end, a symbol is a concrete sign that reveals a whole world to those who know how to open their eyes? The symbol as a tool and a link, a correspondence, to the living. Something universal, uni-vers-al (in French, universel).

In Hebrew, the word "El" has three meanings. First, it can be translated as "God rescued" or "The power of God". Second, it can mean "the mighty things of nature". Finally, it can be translated as "strength" or "power".

One-to-God.

What if symbols could help you find the Divine within you?

Symbol of the soul and the universe

If you have been following us for a while, you know that I always talk about the center.

From the center of the symbol develops a basic geometric structure that illustrates that all life unfolds from a single source like a cell division.

And the true center of a circle, of a mandala, is a point.

The point belongs to a plane beyond our world. It is a symbol of unity, of totality, of perfection. In almost all cultures it is a symbol of God.

The point contains all things. Circle and sphere originate in it; they are both a manifestation of the point. What, in the point, was only at the stage of potentiality, has reached in the circle and the sphere the formal development.

The circle is a point with dimension, so it exists because of its center point and is defined in relation to it, although the center point is not perceptible. The point and the circle, God and the world, the unmanifested and the manifested, content and form, are all notions that allow us to understand the symbol.

One of the most famous representations of the circle is the Dharmachakra, which is one of the oldest Buddhist symbols represented as a wheel, the Dharma Wheel. The Wheel of Dharma represents Buddha's teaching towards the path of enlightenment

To better grasp that the small, the fragment, already contains the whole, one could compare the point to a seed and the circle to a fully formed planet. Or one could also compare the acorn and the oak tree.

Use of esoteric symbols in spirituality

However, one must be careful not to adopt extreme behaviors when approaching symbols: that of losing yourself in the world of forms (in materiality) and conversely, that of seeking to flee from it because of the belief that spirituality can be found outside the world.

Your spirituality must be lived in the everyday: in every gesture, every word, every thought. Use the world as an instrument to help you rediscover the point, the point where the All merges with the One.

The law of the world is movement, the law of the center is stillness.

Our life is a constant dance around the middle, the center. But beware: everything in the world wants you to live outside the circle. Everything is done to prevent you from finding the center. When you live outside the circle, you are weak, you do what they tell you to do without realizing it.

When you are in the center of yourself, you are strong, stable. You know what you should do and what you should not do. You know what you want and you move to achieve it.

Know how to use spiritual symbols by connecting to them in a simple way and with the heart. Whether it is the Flower of Life, the vibrational mandalas, the Om, the endless knot, the Lotus Flower, Fatma's hand or any other lucky symbol, approach the symbols with simplicity.

The symbol: source of well-being, serenity, or resistance?

Some symbols in particular are associated with serenity, well-being.

Buddhism is probably the religion that has most concretely conveyed the values of Zen attitude, of peace, by seeking inner calm, meditation, peace of mind, internalization, contentment, letting go, liberation from illusions that are sources of desires and conflicts... The Buddha himself was a symbol of peace.

Through his teaching, the Buddha tried to bring purification to the water of relationships. The Buddha, "the Awakened One," had been awakened by water. He was a being of compassion and benevolence. He always tried to bring peace, love, right relationships, between men, but also with animals. He was gentle, peaceful.

The Lotus Flower, with its roots rising above chaos, is widely associated with this notion of serenity.

Going towards the known is reassuring. It is human. In the same way, many people will often turn to the Flower of Life because it is a very well known symbol, which is now found everywhere. The Flower of Life is a concentration of the golden ratio, of the Fibonacci sequence, it is represented by several overlapping and intersecting circles.

Going towards the unknown can be frightening, it can be destabilizing but often this leap into the void can allow you to find your true self.

Listen to your feelings to guide you to the symbol you really need.

Whenever you feel resistance to certain mandala structures, colors, or even symbols that seem foreign to you, it is worth looking at why

This can lead you, for example, to a virtue that you need to work on when you are not necessarily ready.

Becoming aware of this work can at first be somewhat depressing. However, if you look deeper, this awareness can only be liberating.

The center of the symbol, the center of the mandala, escapes all intellectual representation. It is alive in each of you, but neither will nor intellect can make you aware of it. Both take part in your journey through the world of mandalas, of symbols.

Each mandala has its own virtue.

Yet words, which are mostly and almost always the expression of thoughts, of concepts (in any case which have a limiting aspect), do not facilitate your path towards the center, towards the essential. On the contrary, they tend to keep you away from it in a world of concepts.

In the end, who can say what is true Peace? True Confidence? etc. etc.

Nevertheless, the words (the virtues corresponding to each mandala) can also be a help, while taking you away from the center, they also bring you closer to it. It is a duality that ultimately leads to a necessary balance.

Symbol of knowledge and spiritual awakening

The forms and symbols you will find in our store are universal. They are common to all human beings; they are in fact the very foundation of creation.

They are both part of the Whole and the Whole.

The universe itself is a mandala, made up of countless mandalas. Every mandala is at the same time a universe. It is unity and diversity.

Every cell has a nucleus, which is a mandala. As the nucleus divides, it forms two other cellular mandalas. Thus the living world of mandalas develops.

Cells and crystals, in fact, everything on our planet is made up of atoms, and every atom is a mandala.

In any field, contemporary science ultimately encounters the same basic structures, and these structures are found in the human being. It is up and down, outside and inside. This is an ageless esoteric law which the mandala allows us to verify within ourselves and which we can experience through it.

When you look at a mandala, a symbol, it would be difficult not to be affected. It is almost impossible to look at a mandala without something moving inside of you.

The mandala is movement, is the wheel of life, is the image of the universe arising at any moment from the one center, expanding to the periphery, and at the same time bringing multiplicity back to the one center.

Each of you carries this fundamental pattern within you and can therefore recognize it without difficulty.

The experience of the mandala, the living, sacred symbol, is also linked to the experience of meditation.

The living experience of your center is the goal of all meditation, since all meditation involves the meditator moving around his or her own center, so that the act of meditating is also a mandala. In the same way, every mandala encourages one to remember one's own center and, therefore, also encourages meditation.

Vibrational mandalas are connected to a living world and you may not realize it, but they can answer countless questions: questions you have about yourself, about God or about the world. In them you can read everything. All you have to do is to develop your sensitivity in this sense.

Mandalas are perfect forms, so if you work on them seriously, their perfection will affect you. On your life, your inner self and your spiritual awakening.

Now we will try to answer the most frequently asked questions about spiritual symbols.

How do we get to the center?

This is a vast question that may take lifetimes to answer, and especially to experience.
Because, as you will have understood, it is only the experience, only the experimentation, that will allow you to truly go towards the center.

Forget the books, all that you think you know. If all this is not lived from the bottom of your guts, what is really left? True knowledge is not learned but lived.

The best way not to lose contact with your center is to remain conscious no matter what happens, to observe yourself in full awareness at every moment.

Observe yourself when you give in to impatience, when you are bored, observe yourself when you get angry, when lassitude overtakes you...

Your only objective must be the center.

To access the center and restore harmony within you, you can use various external means to leave your brain aside.

For this, classical or sacred music acts on the right hemisphere of the brain, which corresponds to the intuitive and emotional side. The goal is to distract the intellect, to bore it. This can be accomplished not only through music, but also through the recitation of mantras, heartfelt prayer or chanting.

The right hemisphere can even be stimulated by the sense of smell through incense for example. You can concentrate on a canvas or any other support and burn incense to create an atmosphere conducive to letting go, meditation and centering. You leave all your worries behind. This is a moment just for you.

You can for example create a small altar at home with your favorite symbols and when you feel the need, you sit and burn incense to clear the negative energies around you.

We offer 3 models of incense holders on our store; you will surely find what you are looking for.

Then you sit comfortably and contemplate your mandala or any other symbol you choose. You observe it, you let yourself be impregnated by it. Little by little you will observe that a living link, conscious or unconscious, is created with your symbol.

Perhaps it will speak to you from within, and guide you to your own center.

It is quite possible to immerse yourself completely in the symbol.

What is the symbol of intuition?

Perception allows you to pick up and receive information in order to orient yourself in the right way. To purify perception, to refine it, to focus it, is the way to know oneself and to educate oneself in the right vision.

Without the right perception, no one can orient themselves correctly. It's like taking to the sea with an out-of-tune compass. You might as well be crazy and unconscious.

The Mandala of Intuition tells you that in life you have to be focused. You must know what you want and you must focus on it. You must implement what you want to achieve according to the laws. Then you have to look inside yourself to see if the water is clean, if the forces are with you or against you. Then you will be inspired and you will have the intuition, the knowledge. This is how you will realize. Intuition is the knowledge that cannot be learned, the innate knowledge, the gnosis, that which is in you from all eternity and which you awaken

If you want to know more about this subject, I invite you to read our article "develop your subtle perceptions".

And we have also developed the box "develop your perceptions", where you will also find the harmonizing disk of the Mandala of Intuition.

What is the symbol of protection?

I have dedicated an entire article on the subject, feel free to read it here.

I talk about the Mandalas of Protection but also about other symbols such as the Pentagram, the hand of Fatma or Hamsa (amulet in the shape of a hand), the dreamcatcher, which are used to keep away the evil eye. According to popular belief, the dreamcatcher acts as a filter, blocking bad dreams and allowing its holder to have a more peaceful sleep.

We could also mention the Metatron's Cube which is a powerful symbol of protection.

The idea of our blog is to be able to answer all the questions you may have. So if you take a little time to browse through it, I am sure you will find what you are looking for!

Our goal is also to give you keys and more information about symbols.

Also, on the theme of protection, I invite you to read "protection rituals". We tell you how to protect your home, how to purify it, but also how to set up, in a simple and effective way, some protection rituals.

What is the most powerful symbol?

It is THE question that you are all asking yourselves!

I understand that many are wondering about this.

Some swear by the Flower of Life, others believe that the Metatron's Cube is the most powerful symbol because it is a condensation of the 5 Platonic solids, the Merkaba and the Flower of Life.

What if we asked ourselves the question differently?

What if we asked ourselves what symbol suits us instead of looking for the "always more", typical of our consumer society where we always want more and right away?

It is for this reason that we always invite you to listen to your own feelings when choosing a symbol. Indeed, we often see many people looking for a Flower of Life.

And as I mentioned above, the Flower of Life is typically a symbol that many people have focused on in the past. These forms have accumulated a powerful energy and will emit a vibration that is enhanced by the power of the egregore to which they are connected.

So in the end, is your choice conscious or unconscious and guided by others?

What symbol means life?

The mandala is a universal symbol of sacred geometry that has existed since the creation of the world. Generally speaking, all the spiritual symbols you will find in our store are related to the living. They accompany you on the path of awakening and healing.

In our article "The symbols of life: the top 8 representations", you will find all the answers to your question. We talk about the Flower of Life, the Tree of Life, the Seed of Life but also the Egyptian Cross or Ankh Cross (a powerful symbol of protection in ancient Egypt), the Triskel, but also water and the sun.

To conclude

Whether you are a follower of the Metatron Cube, the Flower of Life, the Om or the Hand of Fatma, be honest with yourself in your choice of symbol. Know how to make a conscious and enlightened choice and do not follow fashion or other effects.

The vibratory mandala is a direct and privileged link with a higher intelligence, which must be part of your life. It is a true doorway to the sacred world and allows almost direct and instant access to the luminous presence.

The growing interest today in spiritual symbols, and their increasingly frequent use in various fields, is very telling.

It is clear that we live in a time when man is increasingly lost in the world of the periphery, leaving his soul unsatisfied.

Our wish is that your own inner mandala will start moving again!

I hope you enjoyed this article. If you are looking for tools to work on yourself but also to harmonize your interior (literally and figuratively) you are at the right place!

Mandalashop is your specialist in sacred geometry symbols with more than 400 symbols at your disposal. And on our blog you will find all the information you need to know more about symbols and how to use them in your daily life.

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Sources:

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbole
Mandalas : how to find the divine in yourself, published by Dangles